People and government
Business leaders see brighter future in NLD win

Business leaders have welcomed the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) thumping victory in the 8 November election, saying the opposition is well poised to drive economic growth when it forms the next government in March. Industry insiders say that the change of government is certain to lead ...
NLD leader seeks talks on transition

Myanmar’s president and the Tatmadaw commander-in-chief have congratulated Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her party’s election victory and agreed to her request to hold talks following the crushing defeat of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Expressing his intention to cooperate with the opposition National ...
Vietnam plans Hanoi-Vientiane highway project: report

Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has started a feasibility study on a 760-kilometer highway to connect Hanoi and Vientiane, local media reported on 11 November. The study conducted by Transport Engineering Design Inc. will help decide whether the route should pass through Nghe An or Ha Tinh, two central ...
Ho Chi Minh City to spend $443 million on embankment, drains to fight flooding

Ho Chi Minh City is seeking the prime minister’s approval to spend VND9.85 trillion, or more than US$443 million, on a massive anti-flooding project that will include a seven-kilometer riverside embankment. Keep reading ...
Bokeo police confiscate over 100,000 amphetamine pills
Bokeo provincial police confiscated over 100,000 amphetamine pills and arrested two drug traffickers in Phonthong village, Paktha district, last week. Head of the Bokeo provincial Public Security Headquarters, Colonel Lamphai Yotpaphai, told Vientiane Times on 11 November that police received a tip off about illegal drugs being ...
Lao officials warn about overuse of antibiotics
It is estimated that 90 percent of private hospitals and medical clinics in Laos give too much antibiotics to their patients because they lack training in prescribing antibiotics. However this carries many risks. Director General of the Health Care Department under the Ministry of Health, Associate Prof. ...
Nam Theun 2 dam generates funds for poverty reduction
The Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant, one of the largest in Laos, has generated sizeable revenue for the government and contributed to the alleviation of poverty, according to the International Environmental and Social Panel of Experts. The Nam Theun 2 Panel of Experts released its latest ...
Overpass mulled as solution to Vientiane's traffic snarls

Officials are wrestling with the problem of identifying a long-term solution to Vientiane’s chronic traffic jams and some are suggesting that an overpass might ease the situation. While no such scheme currently exists, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility to imagine that overpasses will ...
Vietnam's ambitious education reform plans come in for praise

The education ministry’s plan to transform general education from a system that provides knowledge into one that develops capacity is necessary but not sufficient, experts say. Keep reading ...
Myanmar's election good for ASEAN: Surin
The November 8 election in Myanmar marked a good start for the country as well as Asean, said Surin Pitsuwan, former secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Keep reading ...